1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for scheduling production in a manufacturing enterprise, and especially to an automated system and method for scheduling production of molds.
2. Background of the Invention
Conventionally, the mold production management software used in a mold production enterprise only allows users to search basic data and production status. Normally, the scheduling of operations is handled by expert technicians. Different technicians are responsible for the scheduling of different processes. The technicians are not necessarily familiar with and do not control all the conditions of mold production, and the scheduling may therefore be improper and prone to error. In particular, delays can frequently occur when a needed machine remains occupied performing other work, or when a needed complementary part of the mold is still in process. This not only decreases the speed of mold production, but can also lead to wasting of resources. Reduced efficiency inevitably translates into increased costs.
There is no known system or method for mold production scheduling which can systematically deal with an order for a mold according to detailed data on factors such as the relative importance of and relationships between parts of the mold, machine loads, and key machines.